Mother and Child, plus Virgin onClouds from De La RueSource imagery found

Through a chance conversation at a recent societymeeting, your compiler was shown a scan of thesource image for one of the earliest and loveliestDe La Rue dummy stamp designs. As Christmas isabout family, it makes for a nice lead article.

This design has been known as Mother and Child, afair reflection of the subject, but it is officiallyknown as Madame le Brun and her Daughter and istaken from a 1789 self-portrait by Louise Elizabethle Brun with her daughter Jeanne Lucie Louise.

This, and next, dummy stamp may originally havebeen an essay for 1897 PoW Hospital Fund labels.

Dummy StampsIssue 32 A Newsletter Covering British Stamp Printers' Dummy Stamp Material Quarter 4, 2013

Knowing that the above design has a companionitem referred to by collectors as Virgin on Clouds,the source was then sought for this second item.

It was soon located on the Internet*, but no mentionof the artist could be found on any website that wasusing the image. So, having shared the scan with afellow enthusiast, he went to a London museumwhere the curatorial staff were able to confirm thatit is known as The Immaculate Conception and thatit was painted by Murrillo, who had created about18 examples of this image in 1650, with this onebeing held in the Prado Museum, Madrid.

© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

(left) The painting on aMother’s Day stampfrom Dubai.

(right) self-portrait ofLouise on French stamp.

Mini-sheet from Rwandashowing the full paintingon show at The Louvre.

“A Merry Christmas anda Happy New Year to

all readers of DS”

* drag and drop an image intoGoogle Images browser and it willreturn any matching, or closelymatching, results. A useful tool.

Close-up of DLRengraving.

Close-up of thepainting.

Artisan Press and De La RueDo dummy stamps exist for this trial run?

While going through hundreds of issues of StampCollecting Weekly [GB] recently, a snippet in thenews pages of its 28 August 1969 issue proved ofinterest. It had been extracted from the Bulletin ofthe Leicester Philatelic Society, who had in turnfirst seen it in a print trade journal.

The piece in part read: “De La Rue had won a GPOcontract for printing the Post Office commemorativestamps by offset-litho. De La Rue ordered, andreceived, a four-colour sheet-fed press, which wasinstalled at their Gateshead works for this purpose.It is a Roland Rekord type RVKIII having a maxi-mum sheet size of 25 5/8 inches x 38 inches,manufactured by Faber & Schleicher AG out inGermany.

“Before placing this order, De La Rue insisted ontests being made on a Roland press to ensure that itwould meet the register requirements necessary forstamp printing. These tests were run at the ArtisanPress at Anstey, near Leicester, using gummedpaper; test plates and ink were provided by De LaRue.”

The obvious questions that spring to mind are whatwas the test plate design and do copies exist fromthat trial? The Artisan Press still exists to this day,but it is unlikely that they would have any recordson the trial, which would have no doubt beenaccomplished in one shift working.

Does this project ring any bells with anyone whoreads Dummy Stamps?

BW Bearded BritonDie proof surfaces

Help Needed re Several Bradbury,Wilkinson Dummy ItemsNo man is an island....

Can anyone supply scans of the following dummyitems from Bradbury, Wilkinson, please, as onlythese poor photostats have been seen.*

Dummy Stamps - Issue 32 - Q4 2013 - Page 2© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

An attractive die-proofof the Bradbury,Wilkinson BeardedBriton design wasrecently sold.*

DAVAC GummingA new gum from 1963 aided production of Gold Coins

In issue DS31, your compiler used the term ‘water-activated’ to describe the gumming used on theTonga Gold Coins stamps. This is the term that isinvariably used by stamp printers to signify stampsthat require either saliva or a wet sponge to activatethe gum on the reverse. This term was unfamiliar tomore than one reader, so if you were one of them, itis now hopefully clear to you.

Space on the front page prevented full details ofwhat was then a new gum type from beingdescribed, for while the Tongan issue was water-activated for sure, it actually comprised a newinvisible gum called DAVAC. The producers,Samuel Jones, wrote at the time.....

DAVAC is a clear, matt adhesive. Made andpioneered by Samuel Jones for Walsall's Tongacoins of 1963. A suspension of discrete particles ofadhesive in a non-aqueous solution of a resinbinder, which is then coated on a paper and thesolvent dried off. This leaves a paper, on the surfaceof which lie the small individual particles of thewater soluble adhesive anchored to the body paperby a small proportion of resin. On moistening, thebinder permits the water to permeate through to theadhesive particles, so giving a tacky gummed filmindistinguishable from normal gumming.

The advantage of DAVAC is that it does not causethe paper to curl under extreme climatic conditions.It also enables specialised papers and foils to beused, which could not normally be processed bymechanical non-curling processes.

The “mechanical non-curling processes” that arereferred to above are the ‘gum-breakers’ used fornormal paper production. The reel of paper is drawnacross steel blades, or similar, under tensionresulting in minute gaps between the particles ofgum that allows the paper to expand or contractdepending on climatic conditions without causing acurling of the substrate - the bane of postal counterclerks and collectors. On most stamps, this processis invisible to the eye when examining the gum onthe issued stamp, but on some German, Americanand possibly stamps from other countries as well,there are colourless lines across the gum at intervalsthat serve the same purpose.

The Tonga gold-foil stamp substrate was too thick topass across the steel blades without causing damagebefore printing, hence the new gum.

DAVAC was also used on two issues of stampsfrom Canada, but as these comprised normalthickness paper, it may explain why they did notcontinue with this gum type. However, it fails toexplain why the Canadian printers ever botheredwith DAVAC-gummed paper in the first place, asthere are no obvious benefits when used on normalthickness paper. *

More eBay RubbishContinue to be vigilant when buying on eBay

eBay continues to be a great source for philatelic items, but also a place where vendors sell material that is not that which it purports to be.

The item alongside has never seen the inside of a training school, so do not purchase.*

Waterlow specimen dummy stampssurface for the first timeExercise caution when buying

A couple of examples of the Lady with the Torchdesign have been seen for sale with a SPECIMENoverprint in black.

They appear to be “right”, but as they have not beenseen, examine closely before buying. *

Dummy Stamps - Issue 32 - Q4 2013 - Page 3© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

Interesting Finds since the PreviousIssue of Dummy Stamps.....and still they keep coming

With thanks to those readers who supplied scans.*

All three of these£20 dummy stamps

are modern prints.

Worded FAKE onreverse, they maystill fool some, so

if offered thisdesign for undera fiver... beware!

Dummy Stamps - Issue 32 - Q4 2013 - Page 4© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

The Harrison Alexandra Rosedesign has been seen in animperforate condition.

It is just possible that allcolours exist imperforate, buthaving never seen these untilnow it seems unlikely.

It is unusual to find box endlabels, this being for the

Postman’s Knock PhilatelicCongress of GB design

dating from 1933.

Previously unrecorded,both values (3d / 6d)were printed in brown,surely making correctselection at point ofsale difficult?

Contained in a book ofTrade Stamps printedby Harrison with thePatriots label at centre.All overprinted in blue‘SPECIMEN’.

The cinema was in Wal-ham Green, Fulhamand closed in 1955.*

These Broad-way Cinema

labels re-cycled the

Arms dummydesign.

Harrison Jumelle trial block.

Many months ago, your compiler became aware, through idly surfing the web one afternoon, of a planningapplication that would relocate ISP’s British stamp printing premises away from the town of Walsall to anew site known as i54, which is in Wolverhampton. It was thought best not to comment before now but asthe press were advised in November the information can be freely shared with those who have not heard.

ISP intends building a seven-figure state of the art security stamp printing facility on five acres of land at thei54 site. Initially comprising 70,000 square feet, it has the flexibility to expand by a further 30,000 squarefeet if demand for its stamp products continues to increase in the future.

The 80 staff will be relocating from Walsall following completion of the new building in 2014, enabling it toseamlessly continue its core production of printing self-adhesive stamps, where more than 60% of total out-put is destined for overseas, including major contracts for postal administrations in Europe and Japan.

Speaking about the move, ISP’s managing director Paul White said to the press last month: “This is a majorinvestment and key strategic acquisition for the company. The new manufacturing premises on theprestigious i54 site, coupled with an ambitious programme of investment in state of the art printingtechnologies will provide us with a firm foundation from which to expand our business operations. The proximity of the site to key transportation networks will be invaluable in efficiently servicing UK,European and global clients.”

The new building was designed by Wolverhampton architects Tweedale and is to be constructed by A & HConstruction of Halesowen, thus giving a major boost to two further locally-based companies.

For ISP to make this major financial commitment to new premises is proof that they see stamps as a part ofdaily life for many years to come, despite those who talk of the imminent demise of the postage stamp. (Themeter franking machine was to have killed-off stamps in the 1920's, so nothing changes.)

International Security Printers to Relocate Printing away from WalsallExciting new plans to relocate the Midland Road, Walsall, premises to the i54 site at Wolverhampton

Dummy Stamps - Issue 32 - Q4 2013 - Page 5© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

(above and right) Visuals of the new premises.All wording and use of imagery on this page

has been approved by ISP.

When Walsall Security Printers Ltdacquired Cartor, a new company named

International Security Printers Ltdwas set up to head up both of these trading

companies offering the services andcombined resources of both manufacturing

plants to its clients.

Your compiler wishes InternationalSecurity Printers Ltd well in this

exciting new venture. *

Bradbury, Wilkinson AlbumA rare opportunity to purchase samples

An attractive album is on offer as these words arebeing typed. The lot description reads:

Presentation book by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co.containing imperforate colour trials and essays ofvarious countries, each perforated "SPECIMEN,"including:- Belgian Congo 1920 airmail set of 4 in issued colours.- British Central Africa Freedom, Justice, Commerce revenues.- British East Africa 1890-94 8a in brown.- Chile 1894 1c in brown.- Crete 1905 & 1907 values in unissued colours.- Egypt 1906 5m Sphinx and 10m Bedouins & Camels essays.- Falkland Islands 1898 2s6d in green and 5s in red.- Greece 1913 25l in unissued colours.- Mexico 1899 and 1910 values in unissued colours (16).- Romania 1906 values in unissued colours (2 with different central design to that issued) and 1906 semi-postal with value.- Salvador 1903 Marozán monument 12c in unissued colour and two fiscals.- Serbia 1915 King Peter & Staff 25p in unissued colour.- Spain 1916 Cervantes issue set of 4 in unissued colours.- Turkey 1914 (14) plus 2 postage dues in unissued colours.

However, it is the final part of the offering thatinterests us here, namely: “Specimen dummystamps depicting Mercury and King George V*,and vignettes with Portsmouth Memorial &Portsmouth's Heroes vignette and Milan 1906Exhibition vignette.”

These enlargements are too large for clear renderingand are becoming pixilated. However, they do showthat the dummy stamps are indeed pin-perforated atfoot SPECIMEN.

* Actually King Edward VII!

Described as a “wonderful item for the connoisseur”,the lot bore an estimate of € 10,000 - € 15,000. *

200 Years of De La Rue BanknoteNo stamps, but an attractive Guernsey banknote.*

Dummy Stamps - Issue 32 - Q4 2013 - Page 6© Glenn H Morgan FRPSL

...and finallyI always welcome details of new dummy finds fromprinters past and present, and so invite you to write viamy Guest Book at stampprinters.info/guestbook.htm,where requests to subscribe to DS can also be made. Business, family and other commitments to the hobbymean that I cannot guarantee that I can rigidly stick to apublishing programme and therefore suggest that youvisit stampprinters.info/dummystamps.htm every sooften where PDF files of this and all future and previousissues of Dummy Stamps will be available to downloadand print-off. Thank you. *